Facile synthesis of snowflake-like FeO(OH) with guiding agent for lithium-ion batteries and photocatalysis applications

Abstract

Herein, for the first time, we present a facile one-pot hydrothermal approach to synthesize snowflake-like FeO(OH), with Na(C₆H₅COO) employed as the guiding agent. The as-synthesized FeO(OH) displays a distinctive snowflake-like morphology, which is constituted by a large number of nanorods radiating outward in a six-petaled pattern from a central vertex. In contrast, in the absence of Na(C₆H₅COO), only irregular Fe₂O₃ particles were obtained. The unique snowflake architecture endows FeO(OH) with more efficient electron/ion transport channels and a substantially enlarged specific surface area, thereby enhancing electron/ion mobility and affording abundant active sites. Consequently, when applied as anodes in lithium-ion batteries, the snowflake-like FeO(OH) exhibits an outstanding charge capacity of 1390 mAh g⁻¹ at a current density of 0.1 A g⁻¹ even after 200 cycles, and remarkable long-term cyclic stability up to 300 cycles at 1 A g⁻¹. Moreover, this snowflake-like FeO(OH) also manifests good photocatalytic activity in dye degradation. These findings unequivocally suggest that the snowflake-like FeO(OH) holds great promise for applications in both lithium-ion batteries and photocatalysis fields.